Keith Arthur Voigt

humor died yesterday at 61 after a three-year battle with brain cancer.

Keith was born Aug. 17, 1957 in Avon, Ohio, the second of four children of Adelaide

(nee Nowak) and Richard Voigt. Keith came up through the Avon schools and graduated

from Avon High School in 1974. During his senior year in high school Keith participated

in what would become for him a transformational experience; spending a year as an AFS

exchange student in Bogota, Columbia. His AFS experience spawned a lifelong love of

people, language, culture, and travel.

In 1985, he married Janet Weissman. According to Keith, his life with Janet was the life

he always dreamed of. The couple have two sons, Alexander (28) and Zachary (24). In

addition, in 2001 he and Janet welcomed Shoko Yamamura, an AFS exchange student

from Japan who lived with them for a year but who remains their daughter very much

today.

Along with his love of travel, Keith had a passion for music and after graduating from

Ohio University he worked as a music engineer at the Beachwood Recording Studio. In

the 1980’s Keith began working with his wife's family in their multi-generational

furniture business. He bought the company when his in-laws retired. Customers praised

the sincerity of his concern for their interests, and employees lauded the deep personal

interest he took in them and their families.

Keith also had a passion for sailing. After a weekend of instruction with a professional

sailor and two friends, he purchased a small boat that he could single-hand on weekends

on small lakes. As is the way of sailors, he graduated to larger and larger crafts which he

kept docked a short distance from home on Lake Erie. He also loved entertaining Janet

and their sons with an evening meal served at the dock.

One of Keith's favorite adventures came in February 2014 and combined two passions -

travel and sailing. Bearing his acronymic title of COMMIT (Crochety Old Men

Motivated by Illness Tour) he and two close friends took a weeklong charter in the British

Virgin Islands. All three had health problems—Keith had won a fight with leukemia but

was dealing with the onset of an inoperable grade 3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma brain tumor

—and every aspect of the trip brought memorable discoveries about the perils of

Caribbean sailing and the joy of three dear friends spending a week together on a boat.

His long-time friend, Steve, shared these words about Keith, "His mind was socially and

politically engaged and always on the correct, sensible and compassionate side of the

issues. Keith was passionate. He did not idly meander through life."

In addition to his wife Janet (Weissman) and sons Alex and Zach, AFS daughter Shoko

Yamamura, Keith is survived by his brother and sister and their spouses, Kurt & Lori

Voigt and Karyl Voigt-Walker & Jason Walker, as well as his maternal aunt and uncle

Carole Wiltsie & Arthur and Ginger Nowak. Keith is also survived by his beloved in-laws

and extended family including Fran and Mike Weissman, David and Bobbi Weissman,

Amy Weissman and Daniel Friendly. Keith had seven nephews, two nieces, and one great

niece who all had ample opportunity over the years to enjoy their uncle’s silly antics and

tall tales.

Services will be held 9/17/2018 at 10:00am at the Lakeview Cemetery Mausoleum in

Cleveland, OH. Visiting hours 9/18 and 9/19 from 1pm - 4pm and 6pm -9pm at 26421

North Woodland Road, Beachwood, 44122. In lieu of flowers his family asks that you

consider donating to the AFS scholarship set up in Keith’s name that will allow other

young, passionate minds the chance to explore the world.

Donations

Keith’s AFS experience changed him immensely and the love of his Colombian family

never faded. To honor his life and his legacy, we have launched a scholarship campaign

to help students from around the world experience what it means to be part of a global

community. Please join us in remembering Keith for years to come for his adventurous

spirit, love of humanity, and kind and generous heart by donating to an AFS scholarship

fund in his name: https://give.afsusa.org/keith-voigt or Mail to: AFS-USA, Inc. Attn:

Jonathan Gross, Director of Development, 120 Wall Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY

10005 or call the Development Department at (646) 751-2029. Please be sure to include

the scholarship name in the check memo.